From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement. How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement? How will use your proximity to provide feedback and manage student behavior?
I believe teacher presence is the strongest tool under a teachers belt. More so than verbally reprimanding the student, standing near or even a hand on the students shoulder can drastically change their behavior without even speaking. That being said you must establish the appropriate classroom authority or hierarchy prior to in that student respect.
Upon walking into the classroom the students were transitioning from row and lecture based seating to group seating to prepare for the group work and group activities that will be occurring in the weeks to come. This caused some students to have what my CT referred to as bad opera seats, where certain students, due to how the desks were arranged had their backs to the board/where the teacher was standing. My CT at the middle school had to implement numerous techniques to maintain attention while the class was "popcorn" reading. She stated that she strategically had to group and or move some students so that they wouldn't be distracted by each other's antics and had to do so with certain periods more so than during others, and used rearranging the groups as a "scare" tactic of sorts to improve behavior. She also implemented the simplistic technique of proximity, where all she had to do was stand or read over the shoulder of the misbehaving student. She stated she spends little time using verbal commands to seek student behavior but rather uses looks, hands on shoulder or proximity to retain focus during popcorn reading.
Stepping back and simply observing the students while reading, truly tested my inner teacher. It was difficult to refrain from stepping in and asking students "show me where we are in the reading" or "look at your book not at your shoe" or in the case of one student I bribed him, telling him I would tell him what car I drove if he volunteered to read and followed along throughout the entire period. For the most part, you could see students following along with the reading, others who could care less, zoned out or doodled, or made faces at their neighbors.My CT would pause the popcorn reading when she noticed serious disrupting behavior occurring and apologize for the rudeness to the student reading.
For the most part however, my CT stayed along the walls of her classroom and never really go into the center of the groups.
Student engagement is paramount to an effective classroom with the absorbence of student knowledge, school is boring and passive, encouraging students to be active learners is key to their success. I will have to implement a variety of techniques daily to keep from having a boring daily routine while still upholding certain procedures and expectations that engage students. Luckily being a science teacher I will be able to make lessons very hands on and active through lots of planning and refinements over the day/week/year that is all dependent on that classroom culture and respect that needs to be established week 1.
I believe teacher presence is the strongest tool under a teachers belt. More so than verbally reprimanding the student, standing near or even a hand on the students shoulder can drastically change their behavior without even speaking. That being said you must establish the appropriate classroom authority or hierarchy prior to in that student respect.
Upon walking into the classroom the students were transitioning from row and lecture based seating to group seating to prepare for the group work and group activities that will be occurring in the weeks to come. This caused some students to have what my CT referred to as bad opera seats, where certain students, due to how the desks were arranged had their backs to the board/where the teacher was standing. My CT at the middle school had to implement numerous techniques to maintain attention while the class was "popcorn" reading. She stated that she strategically had to group and or move some students so that they wouldn't be distracted by each other's antics and had to do so with certain periods more so than during others, and used rearranging the groups as a "scare" tactic of sorts to improve behavior. She also implemented the simplistic technique of proximity, where all she had to do was stand or read over the shoulder of the misbehaving student. She stated she spends little time using verbal commands to seek student behavior but rather uses looks, hands on shoulder or proximity to retain focus during popcorn reading.
Stepping back and simply observing the students while reading, truly tested my inner teacher. It was difficult to refrain from stepping in and asking students "show me where we are in the reading" or "look at your book not at your shoe" or in the case of one student I bribed him, telling him I would tell him what car I drove if he volunteered to read and followed along throughout the entire period. For the most part, you could see students following along with the reading, others who could care less, zoned out or doodled, or made faces at their neighbors.My CT would pause the popcorn reading when she noticed serious disrupting behavior occurring and apologize for the rudeness to the student reading.
For the most part however, my CT stayed along the walls of her classroom and never really go into the center of the groups.
Student engagement is paramount to an effective classroom with the absorbence of student knowledge, school is boring and passive, encouraging students to be active learners is key to their success. I will have to implement a variety of techniques daily to keep from having a boring daily routine while still upholding certain procedures and expectations that engage students. Luckily being a science teacher I will be able to make lessons very hands on and active through lots of planning and refinements over the day/week/year that is all dependent on that classroom culture and respect that needs to be established week 1.